TriRock San Diego - Olympic Course - Triathlon

The start was unique for me: a staircase down to deep water and when you hit the water you just go! They had a timing mat at the top of the stairs so it was essentially a time trial start but we were still grouped into waves. The stairs had three aisles which were used to space the athletes making for a smooth start without the melee of a mass/wave start.

Down the stairs and into the water and my race was on! The water was warm (~72* F) compared to the chilly water I usually swim in (60-65* F) so there wasn't much of a shock. Not having the starting melee was nice and I got into rhythm quickly. Buoys were placed at 100m increments which made sighting and navigating fairly straight forward, however I wish the buoys had been the usual bright orange instead of white as a couple times it took me a few moments to find spot the next buoy in line.

Being my first Olympic distance triathlon I kept my pace at a steady level, not pushing myself too hard to make sure I finished ready for the bike and run. As expected I was passed by faster swimmers in my wave and was pleasantly surprised as I caught and passed slower swimmers in the earlier waves. With the spread out start there was not much congestion at the turns. There was a little contact here and there but nothing too major.

While the warm water was nice at the start, by about half way I was starting to feel a little too warm. Nothing so bad that I couldn't keep going but I did ponder the benefits of a sleeveless wet suit for water temperatures in the 70's.

Eventually I made it back to the stairs at the start/finish. A helpful volunteer grabbed my arm and pulled me up and made sure my footing was solid. Once upright I made my way up the stairs and headed towards the transition area.

Overall not much, for my first Olympic distance event I paced myself perfectly in the swim.

From the stairs to the transition entrance was a bit of a ways, maybe 100 yards or so. There was a mat for the first 20 yards or so to soak up some of the water but the concrete after the mat was wet and a bit slippery making for a slow jog while I pulled my arms out of my wet suit. I quickly made it to my rack, finished stripping off my wet suit then put on my socks and shoes. Helmet, gloves, glasses, grab bike and go!

As I neared the mount line a racer ahead of me fell flat. Fortunately I had time to go around him however it made me think about all the times I've read "don't try a flying mount for the first time in a race".

Not much, went smooth. Perhaps going sock and glove less would help shave off a few seconds however I would rather be comfortable for the whole race.

The road conditions on the streets leading up to the Naval base left much to be desired as I dodged cracks and potholes. At the dreaded train track crossing the race organizers had narrowed the course to a single file "slow" zone and placed boards over the tracks making for a much safer crossing than years past (from what I've read). Once on the base the road conditions improved dramatically and the only thing slowing the pace was the sharp turns as the route snaked its way along the shipyard. There were a few long stretches that allowed for some good speed gains tucked down in aero position. I was passing more than I was being passed which felt good considering I was holding a steady and somewhat easy effort level.

Not long after the turnaround on my first lap loudspeakers all over the Navy base started playing the "Star Spangled Banner", as it was time for the daily flag raising. I just happened to be riding by the main base flag as it started to go up the flag pole. All of the uniformed personnel were standing at attention and saluting so I gave a salute as I rode by the flag.

The second lap was much like the first except for more congestion due to the sprint distance racers. There were a few times when I had to call out "on your left!" to get the slower racers to move away from the far left side of the lane so I could safely pass them on the left.

Improve my cornering so I don't lose as much time slowing down. Otherwise a solid bike segment, my goal was 18+ mph average and I came in right at 19 mph.

Very uneventful transition, except for when I started heading towards the bike in/out instead of the run out. A fellow racer near my rack pointed me in the right direction and off I went.

Take more time before the race to go over where the in/outs of the transition are.

Feeling good off the bike I let my legs carry me at the pace they wanted to, faster than my usual slow half-marathon training pace but not uncomfortably so. A couple parts of the run course were a little crowded since it was open to the public and had to give non-racing pedestrians room to walk as well.

As I finished the first lap I thought to myself, "That wasn't so bad, time to do it again!" My pace, on the other hand, did suffer a bit as I slowed with each mile. The final mile I really started to feel the effects of the miles I had traversed over the previous hours. "Just keep going, almost there!" was my mantra as my legs felt just as heavy as that last mile of a half-marathon. I finally made it to the transition area but I still had little more to go as the finish line was at the far end. Using what little juice my legs had left I pushed up the pace and finished strong with something that resembled a smile on my face.

Not much, good run even though the splits were positive.

Drank a bunch of water and stretched out my legs.


I performed as I had planned and within the limits of how I train, for distance and not necessarily speed. As I incorporate more speed training my times will improve.


Good venue and flat course, glad I chose it for my first Olympic distance.